


Itty Bitty Brother

by Warriorstale001



Series: Nightmare's gang stories [3]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bittybones (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Undertale Multiverse | UTMV (Undertale), Apologies, Arguing, Birthday, Birthday Fluff, Birthday Presents, Brother Feels, Brotherly Bonding, Confusion, Cookies, Crying, Family, Family Fluff, Family Issues, Fear, Fluff and Angst, Hiding, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Mistakes, Misunderstandings, Pillow & Blanket Forts, Platonic Cuddling, Potions, Shock, Sibling Bonding, Siblings, Spending Time Together, Surprises, Tears, Trapped, bitty - Freeform, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:35:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28493976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warriorstale001/pseuds/Warriorstale001
Summary: After weeks of brainstorming, Dust believes he has finally come up with the perfect gift for Nightmare’s birthday. Sure, the guardian of negativity might not exactlylikethe idea at first, but Dust is sure it’ll work out in the end! He knows how much Nightmare wants the opportunity to talk to his brother without the threat of violence after all. Does it really matter if the only way to get that for him is to shrink Dream down to the size of a five inch tall bitty and trap him in a jar so he won’t be able to escape before the big day? No, he’s certain he won’t regret doing this by the end of the week.Nightmare just wanted a quiet,relaxingbirthday with as little chaos as possible. However as soon as he’s presented with his now tiny brother staring fearfully at him from inside a glass prison, Nightmare realizes this isn’t going to be quite the birthday he imagined...
Series: Nightmare's gang stories [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2088153
Comments: 167
Kudos: 127





	1. The Perfect Present

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Undertale - small Ideas for you](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26618983) by [Its_cringe_but_I_love_it](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Its_cringe_but_I_love_it/pseuds/Its_cringe_but_I_love_it). 



> New Year? New Story :D!
> 
> Special thanks to Its_cringe_but_I_love_it for the amazing prompt idea that fully inspired this story and to Calcium_Cat for helping me with the title.
> 
> This story is dedicated to those who really wanted to see a story more focused on Nightmare and Dream spending some much needed time together. I know you’re out there, because I get this requested very often :D!
> 
> I really hope you all enjoy!

Dust has been planning Nightmare’s birthday present for quite a few weeks now, determined to get his father figure the most perfect gift he could possibly find him. After all, it’s the least he can do for the one who’s done so much for him and the others. He rescued them all from their dreadful AUs, gave them shelter, food, a family and a purpose. Without him... well... Dust isn’t sure how much longer any of them would have lasted on their own...

If anyone truly deserves an amazing, special celebration on their birthday, it’s Nightmare. Dust is intent on making this one his most memorable yet!

He had begun brainstorming different gift ideas about a month ago, quickly becoming frustrated by the lack of suitable present options he found. They have access to every universe in the multiverse and yet _none_ of them seemed to have anything good to offer! None of them were special enough for Nightmare...

But then he had started thinking a little more... _outside the box._ It became obvious he wasn’t going to find the gift he was looking for in any store or market, so he would need to think of something else.

It finally hit him one day as he lay on the bed in his room, staring blankly at the chemicals and magic potions over on his desk, at a complete loss for what he was going to do. 

There was _one_ thing Nightmare had said he always wanted, but Dust knew it would be incredibly hard to get for him. Luckily for him, he had plenty of time to prepare and come up with a plan for how he was going to acquire it. His chemistry and magic knowledge had played a hugely important role in retrieving Nightmare’s gift. It had taken a huge amount of effort, but now with only one day to go until the big day, everything is ready!

All of the trouble he had to go through for this will be well worth it if it’ll make Nightmare happy. Sure, the guardian of negativity might not like it _at first_ and there’s a _pretty_ big chance he’ll get scolded for what he’s done, but Dust is certain it’ll work out in the end. He’s confident he won’t ever have any regrets about this at all.

Dust checks his phone to see what time it is. 11:34p.m. 

Everyone had retreated to their rooms around 11p.m. after swearing to Nightmare they wouldn’t charge into his room at exactly midnight to wish him a happy birthday and demand he opens gifts. Dust is aware that Cross will most definitely be the one to break that agreement in his excitement and eagerness to be the first of them to show Nightmare what he got for him. He probably won’t get very far before the guardian of negativity throws him gently out the door using his tentacles, making it clear he wants to be left alone.

As much as Dust would _love_ to witness that happening, he feels too exhausted from traveling around the multiverse recently and a lack of sleep to leave his room again.

He decides it would probably be best to check on his gift one last time before he drifts off again, just to make sure everything is in order.

Now... where did he put that jar again... Dust looks tiredly around his bedroom before remembering.

Oh right, it’s in one of the drawers under his work desk!

Making sure there’s no sign of the others outside his room first, Dust shuts the door before making his way over to the drawer.

Opening it slowly and carefully, Dust reaches in to grab the special magic-proof jar that took him forever to find, but which thankfully seems to be doing it’s job well so far. It’s been sealed with a lid that has had a few air holes poked through it and Dust tied a red ribbon into a dainty little bow on one of the sides as a finishing touch to the present. 

The most special part of Nightmare’s gift however sits fearfully huddled as far away from Dust as he can possibly get in the jar, which isn’t much considering it isn’t all that big. His golden eye lights are just pinpricks as he stares up at the Dark Sans with tearful eye sockets, obviously terrified of Dust and unsure of what he’s planning to do to him.

Dust is pretty proud of the fact he was able to catch this bitty for Nightmare. But, it’s not just any bitty of course. It’s Dream, the guardian of negativity’s opposite half, shrunken down to the size of a five inch tall bitty thanks to some new potions he made for this exact occasion.

The effects of the magical concoction had the bitty out for a full day after the transformation was complete. Needless to say that Dream appeared to be very confused when he first woke up, taking a moment to observe his surroundings before clear panic started to settle in. 

Realizing he was trapped in the jar, Dream began pounding on the glass with his fists to get out. Dust watched from the distance, seeing as Dream had failed to notice him at that moment in his desperation to get out. It seemed Dream’s now tiny bow ~~which he may have at the time forgotten that Dream still had it on him~~ had no effect on the glass either when he had tried using it. There didn’t appear to be any easy way for him to get out it seemed, seeing how he also couldn’t unscrew the lid above him. Dust found he was pretty stunned at how well the jar contained the bitty.

Once the guardian of positivity stopped for a breather, he finally noticed Dust’s presence nearby. To say Dream had been startled to see the skeleton he was fighting just the day before, but now _way_ bigger, would have been a huge understatement. He was _petrified_ and Dust understood that he had every reason to be. Waking up to find yourself stuck in a jar in the hideout of one of your sworn enemies, who you can’t exactly be sure won’t kill you can’t _exactly_ be a fun experience...

It’s why he had tried to make Dream as comfortable as possible in there as he could before he woke up, by providing him with a bitty-sized pillow and a large cookie for him to eat. He had placed them in there while he was unconscious so he wouldn’t have to be constantly opening the jar and risk Dream escaping before he could present him to Nightmare. The cookie was pretty much the only thing he could take from the kitchen without arousing suspicion from Horror, who would be sure to notice if anything else was gone.

However, Dream didn’t seem too eager about the food and Dust notices that now even a day later he’s barely touched the thing. Perhaps he doesn’t trust him enough to eat it in case he drugged it or something?

The Dark Sans sighs as he sees the fearful look still frozen on Dream’s face now. How many times has he told him at this stage that he has no intentions of hurting him and yet the other still refuses to believe his words? He’s only like this now because there was no other way he could get the guardian of positivity to have a decent conversation with his brother.

It’s definitely... unfortunate that Dream isn’t taking to this situation very well, but Dust isn’t doing any of this for him, he’s doing it for Nightmare. He might feel a _little_ bad about Dream’s terror and misery at being kept in a glass jar, but it’s not like he’s sending him to his death or anything. There’s no way Nightmare would harm his brother, after all the one thing he seemed to want more than anything else in this multiverse is the opportunity to speak with his brother.

Dust has made sure that this year, Nightmare will have the perfect chance to do just that! He’s sure that’s the best gift he can give to him!

“Hey, Dream.” He greets the guardian of positivity cheerfully, but this only seems to make him more frightened as the bitty shakes more. “You ready for the big day tomorrow? Nightmare is going to be so surprised to see you like this.” 

At the mention of his brother, more golden tears begin to well up in Dream’s eyes, making Dust frown. He’s sure he’d be able to hear the other’s bones rattling if he could hear anything from the inside of the jar, but it seemed to _magically_ block any sounds from escaping it somehow. Dream could definitely still hear him though, since he always reacted to what he said in some way.

“Come on, please cheer up.” Dust almost begs Dream, feeling the tiniest bit bad for scaring him this much. What can he possibly say to make him feel better though?

Wait..

“Hey, it’s your birthday too tomorrow, right? That should be something to smile about.” He gives the other a happy grin, expecting the mention of his birthday will perk him up a bit. Instead of making the bitty feel better like he hoped, the statement seems to have the complete opposite effect on Dream, causing him to curl up further and bury his skull into knees to sobs.

Dust winces witnessing this. Well... there’s really nothing else he can do for him. He had really tried to make him happier, but it looks as though Dream is just determined to be miserable. Maybe seeing Nightmare tomorrow will improve his mood? 

“Well, I just wanted to make sure you were doing ok before I went to bed, that’s all.” Dust tells the other awkwardly. The bitty lifts his skull up slightly to look at him in response. 

“I’ll leave you alone now so we can both rest. Goodnight, Dream.”

He goes to place the jar back in the drawer but is stopped when Dream runs over towards him and begins tapping insistently on the glass on the inside, obviously trying to get his attention.

“What is it?” Dust asks slightly irritably, getting a little impatient with Dream now. “I told you already I’m not letting you out. Nightmare will decide if you’ll be allowed outside the jar or not.”

Dream deflates a little at this, but shakes his skull in response, indicating that isn’t what he was trying to ask. He gestures to the jar he’s trapped in, then points to the top of the desk before using his hands to make a sign for sleep. 

It takes Dust a few seconds to understand. “You want to sleep on top of the desk tonight?” 

Dream gives him several quick nods of confirmation before looking fearfully back at the drawer that Dust took him out of earlier, showing how much he clearly doesn’t want to go back in there.

“Sorry Dream, I have to keep you hidden, remember?” He gives the other a look. “Also, I don’t trust that you won’t spend the entire night trying to push the jar off the desk and onto the floor to attempt to shatter the glass in that way.” 

Dream is unable to meet his gaze for a moment as he looks away and begins to sweat nervously. Dust can guess that the guardian of positivity had at least considered attempting that idea due to how anxious he looks right now.

“You’re going back into the drawer, Dream.” Seeing the horror on the bitty’s face he adds. “It’s just for one more night, until Nightmare decides what he wants to do with you.”

Dream leans against the glass and gives Dust what must obviously be his begging face. The Dark Sans falters seeing the bitty’s now huge eye sockets staring up at his own, pleading with him silently to let him get his way. Dust knows that he can’t afford to fall for Dream’s tricks this close to Nightmare’s birthday.

Doing his best to ignore the bitty’s pitiful looks, Dust slowly begins lowering the jar back into the drawer, being careful not to jostle the bitty inside. “You’ve still got the night light I gave you in there. You’ll be fine.”

He had placed that in the drawer after noticing that Dream _really_ didn’t seem to do well in the dark. The guardian of positivity had only been kept in there for an hour the first time Dust had left him alone, but when he took him out... Dream really didn’t look too good. That had been the only time so far that Dust was close to opening the jar for fear that something terrible was wrong with Dream. Once the Star Sans saw that he wasn’t surrounded by darkness anymore, he began to perk up a little and after five minutes of being in the light was trying to tell Dust why he was in a panicked state.

Since he had put the night light in, Dream seemed to improve a little and hasn’t had an episode like that again, thankfully. Clearly, he still hates being stuck inside the drawer however.

“Sleep well, Dream.” With that said he shuts the drawer, unable to look at the bitty at all as he does so. He knows he must have been banging on the glass desperately this time to get his attention, but Dust knew if he had taken one more glance at Dream then he probably would’ve given in to his guilt and taken him out again. 

The Dark Sans tiredly flops face first onto his bed, trying not to think about Dream anymore, instead focusing his attention on remembering why exactly he’s doing this.

All this guilt he’s feeling right now will be worth it when the two brothers start to talk out their problems, he’s certain! 

Getting under his covers and preparing to sleep, Dust’s excitement for what will happen tomorrow grows.

This is going to be Nightmare’s best birthday ever!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think :3?
> 
> Next chapter will be Dream's P.O.V and should hopefully be ready for next week.


	2. Losing Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream isn’t doing so well at the moment...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should probably mention trigger warnings for panic attacks and feeling claustrophobic at one point just in case anyone needs them.

Dream is certain this is going to be his _worst_ birthday ever ~~and quite possibly his last.~~

The Star Sans cowers against the glass at the back of the jar, positioning himself as far away from the drawer’s door as possible. His latest encounter with Dust that he had a moment ago has left him feeling shaken and miserable.

He’s still not quite sure what must have occurred for him to end up the size he is now, trapped in what seems to be an unbreakable jar. 

His memory of what happened two days ago is still pretty foggy.

Dream can sort of remember leaving the base to check on one of the AUs when he felt it’s negativity spike. Ink was busy with some new creation and Blue had been spending time with his brother when it had transpired, so the guardian chose to go by himself, not wanting to disturb his friends when he _presumed_ whatever was wrong in the AU would most likely be something he could easily handle himself...

When Dream arrived, he was confused to see there wasn’t anyone else around in the part of Snowdin forest he had entered through his portal, even though he was sure that was where he had felt the negativity originate from. The guardian chose to walk around the woods for a bit to see if he could locate the source, but he felt... _uneasy_ doing so for some reason. Dream realized why soon enough. Someone was spying on him in the distance.

The last thing he can remember is turning around to see if he could spot anyone nearby. He has no idea what happened after that. 

Dream blacked out just before he had the chance to call out to whoever was following him... It’s unmistakable to him now that it was Dust who followed him that day and he definitely had something to do with him falling unconscious.

Did he... lure him there with that negativity spike somehow? Dust obviously planned all of this out way in advance in order to kidnap him... but how in the multiverse did he even shrink him down to this size?!

All Dream knows is that when he gained consciousness after being out for a whole day apparently, he felt disorientated, had no idea where he was and all the items around him looked to be ten times the size he was used to. If that wasn’t weird enough, he was being contained inside a large glass structure that he didn’t see any easy way to get out of. It didn’t take him long to start panicking when he realized he couldn’t just break out of it like he had originally hoped. He was well and truly trapped...

When he saw Dust standing nearby, now a giant compared to the size he was, Dream had scrambled backwards in fright until his back hit the other side of the glass, eye lights fixed on the other the whole time. 

That was when he became aware of how much danger he was in. He had been abducted and was now being imprisoned in his brother’s hideout, a place that neither Ink nor Blue can access to rescue him. Not to mention, they won’t know to look for him here... 

The Dark Sanses are able to do anything they want to him and he’s pretty much powerless to stop them. So far, Dust hasn’t made any move to hurt him, but Dream can’t be sure how long that’ll last, especially because he’s being handed over to Nightmare tomorrow.

Dream trembles as he thinks about what his brother will do when he sees him like this. Perhaps Nightmare will choose to kill him the moment he lays his sights on his helpless form or maybe he’ll decide to keep him in the jar to watch him suffer in his misery and isolation? There’s also the possibility that Nightmare will choose to turn him to stone again, keeping the small statue he turns into as a trophy of some sort...

The thought of that last one happening definitely scares Dream the _most_...

He doesn’t _ever_ want to go back to that time in his life. All he could see those days was a pitch black darkness that took over all his senses. He was unable to move an inch, he couldn’t even twitch his fingers... 

It had been so lonely...

So dark...

_So afraid._

_He CAN’T go through that again!_

The guardian struggles to breathe as he curls in on himself, feeling as if the glass walls of the jar are closing in on him. If he doesn’t focus on something else quickly, he’s aware he’ll have a bad breakdown.

Dream searches around the drawer for something to take his mind off his captivity. When he eyes the night light Dust gave him yesterday sitting close to the jar, Dream can’t help but stare at it to remind himself he’s not as trapped as he was back then. He can still move around and see everything in here clearly. It’s not as bad... The light helps to calm him down and breathe easier so he’s not in danger of a panic attack like before. As long as there is a little bit of light he’ll be fine. He lets out a shaky breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He’ll be ok...

The night light reminds him of the one who trapped him in here. It still bewilders Dream why Dust decided to give it to him. The other did appear to be genuinely concerned when he had that panic attack yesterday, but he doesn’t understand why. Doesn’t Dust see him as an enemy? Why would he care if he was having a breakdown? He doesn’t understand the way he’s been acting at all..

Dreams turns his attention to the cookie that still sits on the opposite side of the jar. Dust had obviously been the one to provide him with that too, since he’s quite sure none of the others have been made aware of his presence yet. He hasn’t eaten much of the biscuit for fear that the other could’ve done something bad to it. However, the little bit he did have was _delicious_... he has to admit he’s tempted to have some more. If the crumbs he ate already didn’t kill him then he’s sure the rest of the cookie will be fine... right?

He’s so hungry right now... eating more of it is a risk he’s willing to take if it’ll help fill him up...

Walking over to the cookie, Dream sits down next to it before grabbing a big piece. If he was his normal size, this chunk would just be a small crumb to him, but at the moment it’s looks to be the size of a football in his hands.

The guardian takes a bite out of it, enjoying its sweet, savory taste. For a second while closing his eye sockets, he can imagine himself back at the base with Blue, enjoying the other’s freshly baked cookies. This one tastes really similar to those his friend makes... Dream wonders if there’s a possibility it could have been home baked before shaking his skull of that idea. He doubts the Dark Sanses would be baking in their spare time. Unlike his own group...

Tears form in Dream’s eye sockets once more as he thinks about his teammates. He was supposed to be spending his birthday with them, but he guesses that definitely won’t be happening now. There’s no way he’s just going to be allowed leave once Nightmare sees him like this tomorrow after all. He wonders how worried Ink and Blue will be when he doesn’t show up to his own birthday party tomorrow...

Dream swallows the last part of the cookie piece he had been eating and tears off another, absentmindedly munching away at it while his mind wanders and tears fall down his cheekbones.

Even though he knows Dust is probably asleep right now, Dream figures that an escape attempt would be useless. He can’t lift the lid above him by himself and there’s no way to break the glass, he’s literally tried all his options! Not to mention he’s spent the last day trying to come up with some other way to escape and _still_ hasn’t thought of anything.

How is he going to get out of here? ~~Is there anyway out of here? What if he’s going to be stuck here for the rest of time?!~~

Dream places his skull in his hands with a groan, attempting to block out the negative thoughts he’s having. He’s the guardian of positivity and yet he’s struggling to come up with even _one_ positive thought right now! Why is this so hard for him?

Subconsciously reaching for another piece of the cookie, Dream is surprised and disappointed to feel nothing. There’s no more of the cookie left. He’s eaten the whole thing...

Well... at least he feels somewhat full now and won’t be dying of starvation for a while. That’s... good, he guesses.

...

Dream lets out a long, tired sigh. Apparently that’s the best positive thought he can come up with at his current situation... It’s been quite a while since he’s felt this despondent. Not knowing what will happen tomorrow is _awful_. 

Even Dust said he isn’t entirely sure what Nightmare will do to him and he’s the one who kidnapped him for his brother. To hear Nightmare hadn’t been the one to order his abduction had been strange at the time, but thinking about it, he supposes that Dust thought Nightmare would appreciate being presented with his most hated enemy now completely trapped and defenseless as a birthday gift. Of course Dust would go this far to please the leader he’s being controlled by...

Dream has to heave himself up off the floor when he attempts to stand, feeling completely drained of all his energy due to his sinking despair. He drags himself over to the pillow he had also been given before lying down, laying his skull defeatedly on the soft cushion.

He has no idea what time it is now, but he’d prefer if he could at least get a small amount of sleep before the morning comes. Maybe that will allow him to dream of a way out of here? ~~He should really stop lying to himself... he’s not _getting_ out of here...~~

If nothing else, at least he’ll be slightly more prepared to face his brother in the morning...

After getting into the most comfortable position he can manage considering the floor he’s lying on is made of hard glass, Dream feels his eye sockets start to sag. That’s not much of a surprise since he barely slept yesterday, forcing himself to stay awake in case Dust tried to get the drop on him during the night. Dream isn’t willing to do that again, knowing he’ll probably just wake up the moment the drawer is opened anyways. ~~He can’t really defend himself either if Dust does try something, so watching out for the other is kind of pointless in a way...~~

After listening out for any movement outside the jar once more and hearing nothing, Dream allows himself to drift off. 

He’s _really_ not looking forward to his birthday tomorrow...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Didn’t really achieve much today... but at least I ate food ^^.” - Warrior, way too often.
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this look from Dream’s perspective! Next chapter will include everyone’s reactions to bitty Dream, so stayed tuned for that.
> 
> Any questions or if you’re just looking for a chat, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll be sure to get back to you ASAP.
> 
> Have a great day ^w^/.


	3. A Bitty?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dust finally gives Nightmare his present. It goes about as well as you’d expect...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly not sure how I feel about this chapter right now. Might edit it a little in the future but I just really wanted to get it out for now.
> 
> Let me know what you think anyways ;D.

Nightmare groans as he’s woken up by the sound of banging on his bedroom door for what must be the sixth time in the last hour. Can his boys not give him five more minutes of a peaceful rest on his birthday? He gets his answer to that question when the noises coming from outside his bedroom get louder and he hears someone yelling his name. Hopefully they’re not breaking anything out there...

Sitting up in bed and looking in the direction of the door, he wonders how many of them are out there now, demanding he come out so he can be showered by their affection and presents the moment he exits his room. 

Cross has definitely been out there waiting all night, probably sulking because he threw him out of the room earlier. His youngest member did have it coming though, considering he had made him promise not to come in and he did so anyway. 

Nightmare didn’t want to completely break Cross’s yearly tradition so had let him ‘sneak’ right up to his bed, catching him in his tentacles just before Cross was about to throw confetti all over him. The other had whined and pouted about being kicked out while Nightmare tiredly carried him out of the room before throwing him into the hallway. He had heard Killer laughing a short distance away at Cross’s predicament, but didn’t acknowledge him in his exhaustion, choosing instead to lock the door and collapse back into bed a second later.

Knowing Killer, he had probably teased Cross for a bit, went to bed for a few hours, then had come back early in the morning to see if he could annoy Nightmare enough to get him to open his bedroom door. He’d built up quite the tolerance to Killer’s attempts over the years however, so unless Nightmare knew someone was dying, he wouldn’t be leaving his bedroom until he felt like it.

Horror meanwhile, can usually guess what time he chooses to leave his room and will most likely have some breakfast waiting for him when he does. He’ll still attempt to break the door down with the other two when he arrives though, Nightmare has no doubt about that...

Dust is the most... unpredictable of the group when it comes to his birthday. Whether he chooses to stay outside his room all night or not usually depends on what he’s got planned for him the next day. Explosives and fireworks need time to set up after all... Although no matter how much planning Dust does each year, _something always_ goes wrong with them... Maybe this year Nightmare won’t lose a considerable amount of the hideout to damages caused by them? He can always dream...

Sometimes it’s hard for him to believe that he’s looking after adults when they all act like such children. A smile forms on his face as he thinks about the family he’s made over the years. He wouldn’t trade moments like these for anything in the world, even if he does end up losing hours of sleep because of their antics. It’s hard for him to believe some days that he ever lived without them...

Nightmare’s mood sours a little as an image of Dream pops into his skull. It is his brother’s birthday too today... The council in all likelihood will be throwing him some huge, dumb party in celebration of it. Would Dream even think about him once during the day or would he be too caught up in today’s events to care?

...

The guardian scoffs. Why should he be bothered if Dream forgets about him entirely for the day? He _doesn’t_ need him, he’s... happy enough as he is... ~~Internally, he wishes his twin a happy birthday like he does every year. No matter how much he tries to deny it, a small part of him misses Dream... but he knows he won’t ever be able to talk to him the same way as he did in the past again. The other Star Sanses would make sure of that...~~

More insistent banging and yelling from behind the bedroom door snaps him out of his thoughts. Heh, why should he care about Dream when he’s got others demanding his attention. Who needs him when he’s got others who are pretty much attempting to break his door down to see him on his birthday. Dream would never do that for him. His brother is not worth thinking about today...

Should he consider leaving the safety of his room yet? He checks the alarm clock on his bedside table. Seven a.m. There’s a chance if he stays in here much longer that his boys might accidentally injure one another in the process of trying to get in here.

Well... he should probably go out to face them now then.

Nightmare walks over to the door and pauses there for about a minute, placing his hand on the handle and mentally preparing himself for what he’s about to see once he opens it.

Taking a deep breath, Nightmare unlocks the door and slowly peeks his skull out into the hallway. Unsurprisingly, several knife and bone attacks have been scattered around just outside his room, clearly broken from being used against the door. He notices with a wince that one particular bone has been embedded into a decorative vase that had been sitting out there and is now clearly broken. Good thing he never really liked it that much anyway...

As expected, Killer, Horror, Dust and Cross are all standing out there... attacks suspended in midair as they notice Nightmare has come out at last and their faces light up.

He attempts to greet them as he opens the door fully, satisfied a stray attack isn’t about to embed itself into his chest.

“Good mor- OOF“ The wind is knocked out of him as they immediately tackle him to the ground in a hug before he can even finish his sentence.

“Happy Birthday, Dad!” They all yell in unison as they crush him in a cuddle pile on the floor, with Nightmare trapped at the bottom of it.

“We’ve been waiting outside your door for hours!” He hears Killer comment from somewhere above him in the pile.

“Can you open your presents now, please!?” Cross, who is the closest to him begs as he cuddles him tightly.

Nightmare lets out a long sigh, going completely limp under their combined weight. “Ugh... why must you all do this every year?”

“Cos it’s fun!” Dust exclaims with a wry smile on his face, getting a few murmurs of agreement from the other three.

The guardian rolls his eye light. He could easily lift all four of them off of him with his tentacles right now if he really wanted to, but that would ruin the moment. “Is it too much to ask for a quiet morning on my birthday?”

“Definitely.” Horror replies without any hesitation whatsoever, making Nightmare chuckle. He gives them all a quick affectionate squeeze with one of his tentacles that they all cheerfully accept.

“I should really have learnt that by now with all of you around, huh.” He asks, receiving several nods of agreement from them in response.

They stay like that for another minute enjoying each other’s company before Nightmare speaks up. “So... are you boys going to let me up now or are we going to be lying on the floor for the rest of the day?”

Cross perks up. “Will you open your presents then?”

Nightmare smiles at his excitement. “Yes, I’ll open presents Cross, but not in here. I don’t want my bedroom being destroyed again and I don’t care if you all insist there’s no explosive gifts this year, I am _not_ taking any chances.” 

No one responds as they all stand up and brush themselves off, though he does notice they have the decency to look ashamed at his statement. Dust isn’t the only one guilty of giving him those kinds of gifts before in the past after all...

“I’ll open them in one of the spare offices as usual, since those rooms are expendable and can handle quite a bit of damage.” At least... he hopes they’ll be able to keep it to a minimum at the minimum... The others have surpassed his expectations multiple times on how much destruction they’re able to cause though, so he won’t be surprised if the room is unable to survive the day... 

“Go and grab your presents from wherever you’ve hidden them if you don’t already have them on you and meet me at the closest office to here.”

“Ok!” Cross, Dust and Killer race off to find their gifts, leaving just him and Horror in the room. Nightmare turns to look at his remaining member, who gives him a huge grin in return.

“I’ve already set breakfast up for you in the office whenever you’re ready for it. My gift is waiting for you in there too.” He explains to him as he walks out the room, beckoning Nightmare to follow him. Of course Horror would be the only one who’s actually prepared for his birthday despite them all standing outside his room for several hours...

Nightmare joins him at his side as they walk together down the hallway. “Thanks, Horror. I’m sure it’ll be delicious as always.”

Horror grins at the comment he gives him and seems to stand taller than before, obviously pleased to receive a compliment about his food. “I made sure to prepare all your favorites especially for today. I can’t wait for you to try them!” 

“I’m definitely looking forward to eating something before I begin opening my presents, that’s for sure.” Nightmare pauses for a second before adding. “Have any of them told you what they got me?” 

He really wants to know if he should be worried or not. Does he need to have a fire extinguisher on standby this year?!

Horror thinks for a moment. “None of them told me anything specific, no, but they had a few ideas they mentioned to me that seemed harmless enough.”

That... doesn’t do much to put Nightmare’s worries at ease, but at least it means his boys had been considering getting him something... _safe_ at one point.

“Hmm, I’ll have to wait and see if they stuck with those ones then...” He’d love if they did and his birthday went off without a hitch for a change, but honestly, Nightmare has gotten so used to the chaos they create on his birthday that it probably wouldn’t feel the same without it. 

He just has to stay alert and make sure no one gets too injured in the midst of it all...

After a few more minutes of walking, the two of them arrive at their destination. Opening the door, Nightmare sees that the room has been decked out with party decorations, all of them in dark colors to suit his tastes. Horror has placed his breakfast and gift on the table located in the center of the room like he said he did. Nightmare can hardly wait to tuck into the delicious looking food. He grins as he scans the rest of the office, knowing his boys went all out this year making everything look special just for him.

“Do you like it?” Horror enquires as he watches Nightmare examine the room. “We decorated it yesterday while you were finishing up on paperwork. We’ve got birthday streamers, confetti, noise makers, party poppers, banners and balloons for later. I hope this isn’t too much...”

“Of course I like it!” He assures the other with a wide smile on his face. “I can see just how much effort all of you put into this. It looks stunning.”

Horror appears relieved. “I’m glad it does. We didn’t want to overwhelm you straight away after all.”

The guardian gives Horror a smirk. “It’ll take much more than this to affect me, but it’s early in the day yet. I’m sure there will inevitably be loads of chaos later on.”

“Yeah... you’re probably right.” The other skeleton admits as he rubs the back of his neck and avoids Nightmare’s gaze, though the guardian can tell he’s trying not to laugh. 

The two of them fall into a brief silence for a moment before Horror speaks up again. “So... Do you wanna eat now or wait for the others to come in?”

Nightmare nods. “It would probably be in my best interests to start now. Stars knows if I’ll get another chance to eat after I’ve begun opening presents...”

Sitting down at the table, he studies the choices of meals in front of him, trying to decide what to tuck into first. He doesn’t have long to think before he hears a group of footsteps hurriedly approaching the room, causing him to quickly pick out something small to satisfy his hunger for the time being.

Nightmare shakes his skull as he hears them bickering over who has bought him the best present this year. How many times has he told them he doesn’t want them to make a huge fuss over him or go out of their way to buy him something huge and they do it anyway? He’s just happy they’re here with him at the end of the day, they don’t need to feel like they owe him anything.

Still, he can’t deny he loves the amount of attention the boys give him on his birthday. They always force him to stop any paperwork he may have been working on in order to spend time with them for the whole day. It’s a rare occasion in the year when he doesn’t have to worry about fighting the star idiots and can just enjoy having fun with his family... even if it ends up being pretty chaotic.

Nightmare’s smile widens when they at last enter the room, all of them holding something for him with excited grins on their faces.

Well, no matter what they got him, he’s certain of one thing; With his boys helping him to celebrate, he’s bound to have an eventful birthday...

* * *

Surprisingly, after twenty minutes of opening gifts and enjoying each other’s company, everything is still rather peaceful in Nightmare’s opinion. Sure, they had all thrown confetti absolutely everywhere in the room as soon as they arrived, including all over him, but it’s a rather small mess to what he’s used to. Nightmare knows the day has only just begun though... and he hasn’t even finished opening all his gifts yet...

So far he had received a warm scarf he had shown interest in previously from Cross, a rare type of tea that can only be found in a select few AUs from Horror and a few books all written by some of his favorite authors from Killer. He could tell how much effort each of them put into getting those gifts for him and is extremely grateful for them all.

Dust is the only one who hasn’t given him something now. Unlike the other’s presents that had all been wrapped up for him in shiny paper, the gift that Dust got him is contained within a box that said skeleton has been carrying around with him since he arrived into the room. He was also the only one of the group not to beg Nightmare to open his gift first, shocking him when he instead insisted his be the _last_ one he was given. What is even more concerning to Nightmare though is the fact that Dust apparently hasn’t told _any_ of the others what it is either. There are a number of alarm bells going off in his skull about what that box could possibly contain if Dust wanted to keep it a secret from everyone until this moment.

Despite Dust insisting the box isn’t filled with anything dangerous, Nightmare had requested he open the box at the other side of the room. He isn’t surprised that Killer, Horror and Cross have joined him at his side in this moment as Dust walks over to the entrance of the room with it, suspecting whatever is in the box could be harmful. They’re all curious about what the gift could possibly be, sure, but none of them want to lose a limb over finding out the answer.

Dust shows what he thinks of their reactions by rolling his eye lights at them all, clearly unimpressed they don’t believe him when he says it’s harmless. It doesn’t take long for his mood to improve however as he gently places the box down on the ground beside him and bends over to open it up.

“Happy Birthday, Nightmare!”

Dust excitedly opens the flaps of the box and pulls out the gift he got for him. It’s... a jar with a big red ribbon on it’s side? Well that certainly was not what he was expecting. Nightmare’s eye socket widens when he notices that there’s a small skeleton trapped inside, trembling in obvious terror.

“I thought I said no bitties!” He groans, pinching his nose ridge in exasperation. Why in the multiverse would Dust get him one when they all agreed it would be too dangerous for a bitty in the hideout? He knows the others have all wanted one for a time, but attempting to give him one for his birthday wasn’t going to change his mind on the notion of keeping one.

“He’s not just any bitty. Look closer.” Dust urges, walking closer before placing the jar in front of him on his desk.

Nightmare sighs in annoyance, but examines the bitty anyway. He’s confused when his cyan eye light meets with familiar gold ones. Why would Dust have gotten him a-?

Wait... the outfit that the bitty is wearing... and that crown on his skull... Nightmare knows they’re not just accessories that you’d be able to buy in some bitty store. Being this close to him now, he can even feel the other’s one of a kind positive aura, although it’s much weaker than usual. But that means that this bitty must really be...

“Dream?”

The bitty curls in on himself when his name is called, though Nightmare can see that he’s still attempting to peer up at him subtly, watching him carefully.

Nightmare becomes speechless for a minute, staring at his now tiny brother in both shock and amazement. He had just fought his brother five days ago and he certainly hadn’t been like this at the time. When... Why... _How_ did this happen?

“Is that really Dream?” Cross questions as he joins Nightmare at his side, watching the bitty anxiously. “He’s not looking too good... Dust, what did you do to him?”

The guardian of negativity hears Dust huff from the other side of his desk, but is still too busy trying to comprehend the bitty he’s looking at in the jar to focus on him at the moment. 

“I only turned him into a bitty using a new potion I invented, I didn’t torture him or anything!” Dust argues, hearing Cross’s concerned tone. “The procedure to make him small was completely painless and I gave him food and a pillow to sleep on in there! I don’t know what’s wrong with him!”

“Maybe he’s upset because you kidnapped him and trapped him in a jar?” Killer points out as he also gets closer to the table to inspect Dream.

By now all five skeletons are crowding around the desk to closely observe the bitty in the jar. Nightmare notices how Dream’s eye lights are darting around wildly in panic as they all continue to get closer to him.

“Do you think Dream would just come here of his own free will to see Nightmare on his birthday? Of course not! That’s why I had to do it this way!” Dust yells at Killer, anger evident in his gaze.

Dream seems to shrink even further into himself as their heated conversation continues above him.

“I’m just saying that it should be obvious why he’s like this.” Killer tells him with a shrug, clearly unbothered by the other’s irritation. “So... _Dream_ is seriously the birthday present you got for Nightmare?”

“No dimwit, it’s the bitty pillow in the jar with him. I just _really_ thought Nightmare would want one of those.” Dust says sarcastically with another roll of his eye lights before screaming. “OF COURSE it’s Dream!”

The bitty in the jar is noticeably trembling now and seems to be having trouble breathing, Nightmare notices. Seeing this is enough to snap him out of his daze as he finally looks up from the jar at his boys, all of them now arguing with each other about Dream.

Nightmare stands up from his chair with enough force to knock it over and slams his hands down on the table to gain everyone’s attention. Probably not his best idea considering it made Dream flinch and curl up further, but it’s the only way he could get the others attention when they’re acting like this. All of them are looking at him with a mix of concern and fear on their faces. His tentacles are flaring wildly behind his back in his outrage.

“ _Silence!_ All of you! None of this is arguing is helping matters!” He looks to each of his boys in turn. None of them are able to meet his eye right now.

“Now, each of you take three or four steps away from the desk. You need to give Dream space or he’s going to have a breakdown.” Nightmare takes another quick glance at his brother to see if he’s improved at all. He’s barely moved since he stood up a moment ago. “Your arguing and negative thoughts aren’t helping him get any better.” 

They all take a few steps back as instructed so that they’re no longer bunched around the desk. Hopefully that’ll help Dream feel better for the time being. 

But, in the meantime...

“ _Dust_.” Said skeleton jumps when Nightmare addresses him, probably only used to hearing him use this tone when he’s really furious and scared by how he’s reacting to all this. “ _Explain yourself. Now._ ”

Dust shifts uncomfortably where he’s standing for a moment before clenching his fists and taking a confident step forward, meeting Nightmare’s gaze head on.

“I wanted to make your birthday this year really special, Nightmare. You’ve done so much for us and I wanted to show how much I appreciate that through the gift I got you this year. I searched for weeks, but I couldn’t find anything good enough to buy you. Then, I remembered how you would often say how much you wanted the opportunity to talk openly with your brother again, but knew that wasn’t possible due to the fact you’re always fighting...” 

Out of the corner of his eye, Nightmare spots Dream looking up at him curiously as Dust talks, obviously listening to what he’s saying. His brother is still shaking however and is clearly frightened of him even after hearing Dust’s words.

“I wanted to give you that chance for your birthday, so I lured Dream to a desolate AU, knocked him unconscious and then gave him a potion I created myself, turning him into the bitty you see before you. It was the only way I could think of to bring Dream here to talk to you.” Dust finishes with a hopeful look in his direction, clearly trying to make Nightmare understand why he did all this for him.

The guardian of negativity is taken aback by everything Dust has told him. He had clearly thought this idea through and had gone to great lengths to ensure he got Dream here for his birthday. He can’t believe the other went so far as to kidnap his brother to make him happy. It’s... true he had said he wanted to talk to his brother about everything that has happened since the apple incident, but this isn’t how he pictured it would occur. He’s sure Dust is doing all this with good intentions, but he obviously isn’t aware just how much this situation is affecting Dream right now.

Nightmare places his skull in his hand for a minute as he thinks about his response and how he’s going to deal with Dream. He has a feeling this is going to be a long day...

“I... I appreciate that you did this for me, Dust, but this isn’t the way I wanted Dream to talk to me. I was hoping that one day he would finally stop fighting me for two seconds so we could just talk it out and understand each other.” 

Nightmare takes another peek at the jar to see if Dream is listening to him. He sighs when his brother immediately glances away in terror when he’s spotted looking up at him. “I never wanted it to be forced like this, with Dream held here against his will so he has no choice but to listen to me. How is he expected to trust me when one of my gang members thought it would be a good idea to kidnap him and present him to me as a birthday gift? That’s not really picturing me in the best light now, is it?”

Dust winces as he shakes his skull. “I guess not... I just didn’t want you to have to wait forever for this moment... Who knows how long it would’ve took for him to listen to you, especially with Ink and Blue constantly around.”

“That’s still not the point, Dust.” Nightmare replies sternly, letting out another long exhale. “I would’ve preferred if it happened much later than in this way. Do you know how much the council are going to panic when Dream doesn’t show up to his own birthday party today? You’ve forced me into a position where I can’t let Dream leave the hideout now, because everyone would ask too many questions about what happened to him and hardly any of them would know how to fix it, but if I don’t let him go, they’ll probably hunt us down like crazy, knowing that we’re most likely ones who kidnapped him!”

Dust appears to look even more guilty at his last statement, as sweat begins to form on his skull. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a phone that is absolutely covered in golden glitter at the back and has a star keychain attached to it. 

Nightmare has a feeling he isn’t going to like the reason why Dust has Dream’s phone on his person right now.

“Please... please tell me you _did not_ contact Blue and Ink using Dream’s phone.” Nightmare says in horror as he stares at the item in the other’s hand.

The other skeleton gets even more fidgety. “Um... Do you want me to lie to you then?”

The guardian of negativity glares at Dust at his response before the other continues speaking. “It’s not what you think though! I didn’t call them demanding ransom or anything like that, I just texted them pretending to be Dream saying he was sick and didn’t want to be disturbed!”

Nightmare raises a skeptical brow at him. “Do you really think they’ll just believe that and won’t ask any questions?”

“They’ve fallen for stupider things before.” Dust points out, earning another look from Nightmare. “Ok, listen. Since I knew you probably wouldn’t want to keep your brother as a bitty forever I’ve already started creating the antidote that will return Dream to his normal size, but it’ll take two more weeks to complete.”

Two weeks? He’s supposed to keep his brother here for two weeks before he can let him go!?

“You have got to be kidding me.” Nightmare mutters under his breath. How in the multiverse is he going to look after his brother for the next two weeks? He can’t leave him alone when there’s so many dangerous items around that could harm him, but he doubts the other is going to just trust him straight away and follow him around the hideout if he requests him too. It’s obvious Dream is fearing for his life right now and wants nothing to do with him.

There’s also the fact that the other two Star Sanses will only believe the text message Dust sent for so long ~~if they believe it at all~~ , before they realize something isn’t right and will investigate Dream’s disappearance. Dust really couldn’t have picked a worse time of year to kidnap his brother. Not showing up for his birthday would be one thing, but Dream not showing up in their base on Christmas day would cause mass panic for both the Star Sanses and the council. Nightmare really can’t do anything about it though. He doesn’t trust any of them enough to look after a bitty, never mind his brother as one! He has to keep Dream here for his own safety, even if he’d really rather not have to deal with his brother at this time.

“Are you positive the antidote will be ready then?” He asks Dust who gives him a nod in response.

“I’m certain. If you definitely want to return him to his normal size, I’ll get it done.” Dust assures him.

“Ok... what am I supposed to do with Dream in the meantime?” He questions as he looks towards his brother once again, who seems to be trying to discreetly watch Nightmare as he talks. The other probably wants to know what horrible things Nightmare has in store for him, even though he doesn’t plan on doing anything like that to his brother.

Dust gives him a quizzical look. “He’s your brother, I presumed you would know what to do with him.”

The guardian of negativity feels like letting his skull fall onto the table below him with a heavy thud in exasperation. This conversation is exhausting him...

“No, I don’t. All I know is he can’t stay in that jar, it’s affecting his aura and magic in some way that can’t be good for him in the long term and it’s way too cramped in there.” He explains to Dust, who once again appears guilty to hear this. “Dream needs to get out of the jar sooner rather than later, but I’ll also need to keep an eye on him so he doesn’t get into any trouble...”

Nightmare taps his chin in thought, trying to think how he’s going to do this as he begins pacing back and forth, the others all watching him worriedly.

“We could always set him up in a small cage so you know where he is at all times?” Killer suggests after a minute, causing Nightmare to immediately stop in his tracks as his marrow runs cold at the idea. “I’m pretty sure we’ve got a couple lying around somewhere in the hideout if you w-“

“ _No_.” Nightmare cuts him off, his cyan eye light burning brightly to show he’s not willing to discuss this matter any further. “I _will not_ keep my brother locked in a cage for the next two weeks. That would make me no better than the cruel, twisted assholes that abuse bitties for their own sick entertainment in some of the bitty AUs. The ones who think it’s ok to keep a sentient being trapped in a small, enclosed space so they can live out the majority of their lives there, hardly ever getting to see the light of day.” 

He knows he’s probably went a little too far with his outburst and that Killer would never mean to compare him to one of those awful people, but Nightmare is well aware of the suffering that bitties trapped in cramped cages go through everyday. Nightmare wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he made any living being go through the same thing now, especially his brother after what he put him through in the past...

It’s clear that Ink made a large quantity of these AUs originally because of how cute and wholesome they appeared to be on the surface. Nightmare has no idea if the artist is even aware of how awful some of them are now and what they’ve evolved into. Some days, he can get enough negativity from these AUs alone to give him enough strength to last for _weeks_ , which is definitely not a good sign coming from somewhere that is meant to be cheerful and innocent.

Talking about these AUs have made the atmosphere of the room seem suddenly somber and dull. His boys also know all about the hardships these bitties go through. It’s probably why they constantly asked if they can have a bitty, so they can rescue at least one of them from a bad situation. Nightmare can’t deny at times he’s been very tempted to say yes, but in the end he would always refuse.

The guardian of negativity sits down on the chair again as he rubs a hand over his face, giving each of his boys an apologetic look before turning to meet his oldest’s gaze. “Sorry, Killer. I really overreacted there when I know you were just suggesting the idea. You definitely weren’t insinuating that we act like those awful people, I understand that, but that’s all I could think about when you mentioned it. Despite what the multiverse thinks, we’re _not_ like that and I’m sure I say this for all of you when I say we don’t _ever_ want to stoop down to their level.”

He gets nods of agreements from each of his boys in response, their faces serious as they do so.

“Good. We just... have to figure out how we’re going to do this one step at a time. Dust...” He looks towards the skeleton he addressed. “Do you know what Dream is capable of doing in this state?”

Dust glances at Dream for a second to think before turning back to Nightmare. “I’ve seen him use his bow before to try to break himself out of the jar, but apart from that I wouldn’t know what other magic he might be capable of. If he is still able to teleport it’ll only be at a few meters at max and I know he won’t be able to exit rooms or summon portals to escape the hideout. What else.... Oh, right, if he’s anything like other bitties he’ll probably be a super fast runner. That’s all I can think of right now.”

Nightmare ponders over all the information Dust just gave him in his mind, trying to come up with some plan of action to deal with Dream. He can really only see one way of doing this though and he can’t say he’s not nervous about how this will turn out.

“Horror, do you mind closing the door for me? Make sure there’s no chance of it opening for the time being.” Horror gives Nightmare a puzzled look, but still does as he’s asked and shuts it.

Nightmare thanks him before he begins reaching towards the lid of the jar, hesitating when he hears Killer call out in disbelief. “Are you seriously about to just let him out, Nightmare?! My guess is he’s either going to attack one of us or run away the moment he’s let out and then it’ll be impossible to catch him again.”

“I’m hoping he’ll stick around to listen to me but I won’t force him too.” Nightmare admits as he taps his phalanges on the desk in front of him. “If he wants to run off and hide the moment he’s out, he can do just that.”

Lifting his hands above the lid again, Nightmare notices Dream is standing up now and has backed himself up against the glass as if that could stop him from being grabbed. Luckily for Dream, his brother has no intention of grabbing him whatsoever, but he doesn’t know that.

The guardian of negativity begins slowly unscrewing the lid from the jar, keeping his eye on Dream while doing so. Drops of golden sweat are forming on the bitty’s skull as his brother gets closer and closer to removing it completely. When he finally does, Nightmare doesn’t miss the small whimper that escapes the others mouth as he looks up at him in pure terror.

“Hi, Dream...” He greets his brother as softly as he possibly can, but it somehow still makes the other shiver more. “I’m sorry about... the situation you’re in right now... I’m sure this isn’t how you planned to spend your birthday. If it makes you feel any better this isn’t how I planned to spend mine either.”

Dream doesn’t respond to anything he says, just continuing to stare up at him with teary wide-eyes, as if convinced Nightmare is going to harm him any minute.

“I’m not going to hurt you, but I am going to let you out of the jar in a second. Can you stay on the table once I set you free... so that we can talk about how we’re going to work this out for the next two weeks?”

Dream looks very confused when Nightmare says he won’t hurt him, but once he mentions he’s going to let him out of the jar, the bitty immediately perks up. He gives his brother a slow dip of his skull in agreement to what he’s asked, but Nightmare doesn’t miss the way Dream’s eye lights are currently observing the room around them, as if planning something.

The guardian of negativity doesn’t plan on changing his mind on letting Dream out though and moves to pick up the jar with both his hands, startling the bitty inside.

“Ok, Dream, I’m going to tip you out of the jar slowly now, alright?” He says, tilting the jar a little so his brother is more prepared to slide out of it

“O-Ok.” His brother replies shakily, so quiet Nightmare can barely hear him. 

With his brother’s consent, Nightmare begins slowly tipping the jar to help Dream slide out...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A cliffhanger :0? You bet :P.
> 
> I couldn’t exactly focus on everyone’s reactions to bitty Dream there, so to summarize.  
> Killer: Huh... interesting...  
> Horror: Why?  
> Cross: Is he ok?  
> Nightmare: Nightmare.exe has stopped working.
> 
>  **Edit 26th Of January** : It seems as though C was the clear winner of the vote so I'll definitely try to do both of their P.O.Vs for the next chapter. Going to take a break from weekly updates to work on Xtra Small, my first Nightmare and gang story. Feel free to check that out in the meantime (if you haven't already ;) ) if you enjoy this story and you like the idea of Child Cross being watched by the gang :3.
> 
> Hope you all have a wonderful day!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Feel free to drop me a comment down below. I love hearing from all of my readers to see what you think of the story so far. If you enjoyed, I’d appreciate it if you could give this stories a Kudos too. Comments and Kudos really encourage me to continue writing these stories since it shows me how much people are enjoying it ^^.
> 
> Here's the link to my [tumblr](http://warriorstale001.tumblr.com/) if you're interested! I post spoilers for upcoming chapters there as well as share fan art I've received from some lovely readers as well as random updates about how my writing is coming along. Feel free to ask me whatever you want or send me things there too! On occasion I'll also post random things about what I've been up to or stupid skits I came up with for the stories I write, haha :P.
> 
> Have a wonderful day!


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